34 - "Crimson Tide" (1995)

     Take two of the best actors at the time. Place them in a confined space where they can't get away from each other. Make each of them believe they are right regarding a difficult decision....And make it during the start of a potential nuclear war. That's the recipe for a great movie and Crimson Tide makes for a fine main course. Gene Hackman is Capt. Ramsey, the commanding officer of the U.S.S. Alabama, a nuclear submarine. He has been assigned a new second-in-command, Lt. Cmdr. Hunter, played by Denzel Washington. Capt. Ramsey is at the end of his career and Hunter is an up-and-coming officer who is being trained to run his own sub one day. While out to sea, Russian rebel forces have taken control of some missile silos and are threatening to launch nuclear missiles at the United States. The Alabama has been put on full alert. A message comes through just as the Alabama is being attacked by another sub and it is cut off. What the messages intent was is up for debate and this provides us with the central conflict in Crimson Tide. Capt. Ramsey believes since the message is incomplete, the previous message to attack should be followed. Hunter believes that the message could mean that the Russians have backed down and if they were to launch missiles from the Alabama, the Russians would surely strike back, igniting a nuclear war. The brilliance of this movie is that when you look at it closer, you can sort of see the point that both sides are making. What if the Russians are attacking and we are sitting there doing nothing in response?? But what if the Russians have backed down but we decided to attack anyways?? As the ships crew tries to decide for themselves what is right, they begin to take sides. It's here where the tension of this film really picks up. Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman are both on their A games here and it is director Tony Scott's one true gem of a film. Top Gun was very good, but it doesn't have the intensity of Crimson Tide. This is a true gem that should not be missed.